(WPO1e) Health, Safety, and Well-Being at Work

This session explores issues of mental health, safety, and compensation in the workplace. Tags: Health and Care, Work And Professions

Organizers: Vivian Shalla, University of Guelph, Tracey Adams, University of Western Ontario, Karen Hughes, University of Alberta

Presentations

Adam Mursal, University of Waterloo

The Influence of Mental Health on Employment Among Ethnic Minorities and Immigrants: A Canadian Context

This research delves into the intricate interplay between mental health, employment, and diversity, with a specific emphasis on ethnic minorities and immigrants within the Canadian context. Acknowledging the significance of cultural factors in shaping the experience of mental health and employment outcomes, this study utilizes robust statistical analyses drawn from the 2015 General Social Survey conducted by Statistics Canada. It seeks to address a notable gap in current Canadian research by exploring the nuanced dynamics of mental health, human capital, and employment within the context of ethnic diversity and immigration. Building upon the Health as Human Capital Theory, initially developed by Becker (1964) and expanded by Grossman (1972), this research framework advances a positive correlation between good health and labor force participation. The study extends this framework to encompass the unique challenges and opportunities faced by ethnic minorities and immigrants, acknowledging the diverse cultural contexts that influence mental health and employment outcomes. The primary objective of this study is to examine the statistical significance of mental health and psychological disability status on employment outcomes in Canada, with a specific focus on how these factors intersect with ethnicity and immigrant status. Through logistic regression analysis, the research aims to unravel the complex threads connecting mental health to various demographic factors, such as income, age, gender, education, marital status, ethnicity, and immigrant status. This comprehensive approach enriches our understanding of the multifaceted dimensions influencing labor force participation among individuals from diverse backgrounds. Drawing on the 2015 General Social Survey data with a sample size of 17,390, this research employs logistic regression modeling to scrutinize the relationships between mental health, human capital variables, and employment status. In addition to the core variables of mental or psychological disability status and employment status, the study incorporates control variables that encompass ethnicity, immigrant status, education attainment, age, gender, income, marital status, country of birth, occupation, self-rated health, self-rated stress, rural/urban status, and terms of employment. The findings of the study reveal a compelling association between mental health disability status and employment outcomes, emphasizing the unique challenges faced by ethnic minorities and immigrants. Individuals reporting mental health challenges, particularly from these groups, exhibit a 34% reduced likelihood of being employed. The study identifies correlations between mental health and various socio-demographic factors, shedding light on the intricate web of influences on employment outcomes for ethnic minorities and immigrants. The study advocates for targeted policy interventions aimed at addressing the intersectionality of mental health, ethnicity, and immigrant status in employment outcomes. Recommendations include culturally sensitive workplace accommodations, tailored Employment Assistance Programs (EAPs) for diverse populations, and initiatives promoting mental health awareness within ethnic and immigrant communities. These policy imperatives align with broader efforts to foster inclusivity, support mental health in diverse workplaces, and cultivate resilience within the Canadian workforce.

Manjot Mangat, University of British Columbia

Unveiling Language Barriers: Exploring Challenges Faced by Punjabi Clients in Accessing Workers' Compensation Services within WorkSafeBC

Racial inequality remains a pervasive issue within the workplace, manifesting prominently in the hurdles confronted by individuals from marginalized communities seeking access to workers compensation services. WorkSafeBC (WSBC), responsible for administering workers compensation in British Columbia, plays a crucial role in ensuring timely and appropriate support for injured workers. However, members of the Punjabi community, a significant segment of BCs population and workforce, grapple with formidable language barriers when seeking assistance from WSBC. These barriers extend beyond mere communication challenges, impacting the ability to navigate the compensation process effectively, leading to delayed or inadequate medical care, and perpetuating disparities within the workplace. Additionally, the linguistic hurdles render Punjabi workers vulnerable to exploitation, impeding their capacity to advocate for rights or negotiate fair settlements. This study is designed to delve into the racial inequality within WSBC, focusing specifically on the language barriers faced by Punjabi clients. The threefold objectives encompass identifying and analyzing the extent and nature of language barriers within the WSBC system for Punjabi clients, evaluating the availability and effectiveness of interpretation services provided by WSBC, and proposing strategies to address language barriers and promote equitable services. Through these objectives, the study aims to shed light on the challenges experienced by the Punjabi community, contributing to the creation of a more inclusive and equitable environment within WSBC. The research question driving this study centers on the challenges confronted by Punjabi clients in accessing WSBC compensation services in BC. Language barriers are identified as a critical impediment affecting their ability to navigate the workers compensation system, comprehend policies and procedures, and submit claims in a timely manner. The study also endeavors to assess the availability and effectiveness of WSBCs interpretation services for Punjabi clients, aiming to enhance communication and understanding between Punjabi-speaking individuals and service providers within WSBC. A comprehensive literature review illuminates existing research on the impact of language barriers on access to vocational rehabilitation services and workers compensation. However, these studies fall short in addressing the specific challenges faced by the Punjabi community in BC. To address this gap, the research employs a qualitative methodology, utilizing semi-structured interviews with Punjabi clients of WSBC in the Lower Mainland region. Convenience sampling is employed to ensure diverse perspectives, covering age, gender, occupation, and injury type. The interviews, conducted in Punjabi, explore participants experiences with language barriers, understanding of policies and procedures, communication difficulties, and the impact of language barriers on compensation claims. Moreover, thematic analysis is applied to identify patterns and challenges, allowing for a comprehensive exploration of the research objectives. In essence, this research aims to contribute to the ongoing discourse on racial inequality within workers compensation systems. By spotlighting the unique challenges faced by the Punjabi community in accessing WSBC services and proposing strategies to address language barriers, the study aspires to foster a more inclusive and equitable environment within WSBC. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that all clients, regardless of linguistic background, can effectively navigate the compensation system and access their rights.

Tim Gawley, Wilfrid Laurier University; Shane Dixon, Wilfrid Laurier University

Taking their toll: News frames involving work vehicles and non-worker victims on Canadian roadways

The vast majority of work-related injuries and fatalities in Canada are identified and recorded within well-defined physical- and socially-bounded workspaces. These boundaries enable us to categorize who and what counts in our understandings about occupational health and safety. News reporters also adopt these boundaries within which they will pursue and write stories that reflect them. The result is a framing of workplace-related injury and fatality news that reinforces public perspectives about what is recognized as a work-related injury or fatality in Canada and their impacts on Canadians. Frames provide ‘‘interpretive packages’’ enabling us to make ‘‘sense of relevant events, suggesting what is at issue’’ (Gamson and Modigliani, 1989, p. 3). In this way frames highlight some issues and render others as unimportant or irrelevant, ultimately providing a narrative for making sense of an event or occurrence. In their reporting, journalists adopt frames to tell news stories. Frames in these stories can significantly influence the public’s interpretation of work-related injuries or death to workers and non-workers. However, there are work-related events that put the lives and health of non-workers in physical jeopardy as well (e.g., exposure to carcinogens, assault, suicide, public transportation collisions, pedestrians struck by work vehicles) which can skew public awareness about just how much workplace events negatively impact the health, safety, and wellbeing of Canadians (Bittle, Chen, and Hebert, 2018). The debate about who counts as a victim of work-related injury or fatality in Canada prompts us to examine how news media frames injurious or fatal events that occur at the intersection of work and nonwork contexts. This study is driven by four main questions. 1) How do our sampled news stories frame coverage of traffic incidents involving workers and nonworkers? How common are ‘episodic’ and ‘thematic’ frames? 2) What are the dominant characteristics of these frames? 3) Does coverage emphasize individual or complex social explanations for these events, and 4) In which frames do these features tend to reside? Quantitative and qualitative content analysis was used to analyze 115 articles sampled from June 2018 to June 2023. The articles were selected from a news story database that contains articles from Canadian news outlets. We selected articles that focused on stories covering the intersection of work-related and non-work-related injuries and fatalities (e.g., workers and workspaces being struck by nonwork vehicles; nonworker motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians being struck by work-related rail and road vehicles). Our findings highlight the strong presence of ‘episodic’ frames relative to ‘thematic’ frames (Iyengar, 1991). The latter frames present topics, such as work-related injuries and death, in a broader social context, often linking the event to prior events or larger trends. Prevalent generic frames among the stories are ‘human interest’ frames and ‘responsibility’ frames (Semetko and Valkenburg, 2000). In the vast majority of cases, thematically developed stories are framed as traffic events and not work-related. These events challenge notions that work injuries and fatalities only happen on worksites because in effect these ‘workplaces’ or ‘workspaces’ can be everywhere and often intersect with or co-exist alongside nonwork activities. Two implications of the findings are that news stories, because they prioritize a traffic lens rather than the work-relatedness of the incident, serve to reproduce notions about where work injuries and fatalities occur – workplaces – and replicate ideas about who counts as a work-related victim. The findings suggest a broader conception of ‘workplace’ be considered that emphasizes how the work-relatedness of an event is not restricted to a single geographic location. We propose that news media reconstitute their workplace framings to consider the consequences that work-related events can have for workers and nonworkers alike.

Kamran Ishfaq, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, Pakistan; Muhammad Hassan Raza Ansari, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, Pakistan

Determinants of Child Labor at Brick Kilns: A Study of District Bhakkar, Pakistan

Child labor is a global issue but it affects developing countries like Pakistan. According to Federal Bureau of Statistics Pakistan, about 3.3 million children are trapped in child labor, deprived of their childhood, health and education. Due to long working hour’s children social, psychological and physical development become badly damaged. Children are deprived from their basic fundamental rights, welfare and development. According to the Global Slavery Index, Pakistan is placed third among the nations where child labor is most prevalent. Children are forced to work in miserable conditions and are subjected to physical and emotionally abuse. The worst form of child exploitation and forced labor are prevalent at Brick Kilns industry. Employers of bricks compel innocent children to work in inhumane conditions in the brickmaking process. Poverty is a major factor of child labor. When families are living below poverty line and have lack of basic necessities, children frequently become an additional source of money to help their family’s survival. The present study is conducted to identify the socio- economic determinants of child labor at brick kilns in the district Bhakkar Punjab, Pakistan. This study is based on quantitative research design and data were collected from child labors (14-17 year of age) that were working at brick kilns. Total numbers of 384 respondents were selected from 284 registered brick kilns of district Bhakkar, Punjab Pakistan. Data were collected through convenient sampling technique and were analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). In this study majority of the respondents were aged between 14-17 years and mostly were male. Grater parts of the respondents were local residents and afghan migrants. Majority of the respondents were no own homes and nor have any land or property. They were living in the master’s provided home. The study reported that poverty, lack of education, lack of awareness, culture of the region, adopting family profession, children interest in earning instead of education, and unavailability of skill institution for children are the major determinants of child labor. Majority of the children’ parents were working at brick kilns and were illiterate. Some respondents expressed that their wish is to continue their education but due to lack of support they are working at brick kilns to fulfill the basic needs of the family. The study suggested that raising the public's awareness about the adverse impacts of child labor on children's health, education, and development could reduce child labor at brick kilns. NGOs and Government organization working on child labor concerns at brick kilns can provide essential assistance to children and their families. Access to education, such as schools near kilns or mobile schools, can assist and ensure children's rights that education could not be compromised. Vocational Training Institutes must be constructed for these poor children so that they could get the technical skills rather than work as labor.

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Non-presenting authors: Altar Hussain, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, Pakistan; Ali Ahmed, Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan, Pakistan